Understanding
STAR Reports & Best
Practices for Building
Level Data Review
Pam Sanders, RCS / Carla Koeshall, Renaissance
October 5, 2011
Session MIP’s (Goals)…
*Discuss the basics of STAR
assessments
*Access & generate school-level
reports
*Discuss how to interpret and
respond to data
*Discuss insightful ways data can
be used to monitor student
progress
STAR Early Literacy
 General readiness
 Graphophonemic awareness
 Phonemic awareness
 Phonics
 Vocabulary
 Comprehension
 Structural analysis
STAR Reading
 Vocabulary in context
 Comprehension
 Instructional reading level
 Independent reading range
STAR Reading tests comprehension
Background
knowledge
Construct
meaning
from text
Vocabulary
knowledge
STAR Math tests competency in
eight mathematical strands
Numeration
Computation
Estimation
Algebra
Word
Problems
Geometry
Measurement
Data analysis
& statistics
Scaled Score (SS)
0 SS
900 SS
615
1400 SS
Percentile Rank (PR)
1 PR
99 PR
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Grade Level Equivalent
Score (GE)
0.1 GE
12.9 GE
4.8
Two types of growth
Scaled Score:
Absolute Growth
Percentile Rank:
Relative Growth
Diagnostic
Information
Reasons for score
fluctuation
Standard Error
of Measurement
(chance)
Fluctuation in
student performance
(good day, bad day)
Regression
to the mean
(statistical phenomenon)
Fidelity of
Administration
Pre-Test Instructions
Item Time Limits
Grades K - 2
3 minutes
per item
60 seconds
per item
Grades 3 +
45 seconds
Short comprehension
90 seconds
Extended comprehension
90 seconds
per item
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Using STAR in an
RtI Setting
Progress
shown
Lack of
progress
Data Review
Progress
Monitoring
with STAR
Intervention B
Intervention A
(Tier 2)
Data Review
Screening with STAR
Core Instructional Program (Tier 1)
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Screening Report
A Math Report
1.
Are you satisfied with the number/percent of students in your
class/grade who are at or above proficiency? Is core instruction
effective?
2.
Some students are in the “red.” Based on your opinion of the
student(s) and other information you have, is this student in need
of “urgent intervention?”
3.
Some students (blue) are “on watch” or “almost” at
benchmark. Which of these are you “worried about” and which
do you think will progress with continued core instruction?
4.
What is being done or what do you think needs to be done for
those students in need of “intervention” (Yellow)?
George Batsche
Screening
 “The testing needs to be brief, easy to
administer, reliable, and valid” (Applebaum,
2009, p. 4)
 “Screening is a type of assessment that is
characterized by providing quick, low-cost,
repeatable testing of age-appropriate critical
skills or behaviors” (NRCLD, 2006, p. 1.2)
 “For a screening measure to be useful, it
should. . . be practical” (NRCLD, 2006, 1.2)
Progress
Monitoring
Student Growth in PR
and SS 486 SS
23 PR
485 SS
484 SS
483 SS
482 SS
481 SS
480 SS
479 SS
22 PR
478 SS
477 SS
Not responding to the
intervention
Check the fidelity
of implementation
Give the intervention
more time to work
Increase the intensity
of the intervention
Try a new
intervention
STAR Early Literacy
STAR Math
STAR Reading
Very Highly Rated for Both Screening and
Progress Monitoring by the National Center for
Response to Intervention
www.rti4success.org
High rating from National Center on RTI
Screening Tools Chart (partial)
www.rti4success.org
High rating from National Center on RTI
Progress Monitoring Tools Chart (partial)
www.rti4success.org

Resources
Software: manuals, Live Chat
 Phone: (800) 338-4204
 Email: answers@renlearn.com
 Renaissance Training Center: www.renlearn.com/profdevel
 Getting the Most out of STAR Guides
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